creative, fun, clever, romantic, heartwarming and DIY - great ideas for special touches at your wedding

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TO CREATE YOUR OWN WEDDING MAGIC LET YOUR WEDDING MATCH YOUR STYLE

TO CREATE YOUR OWN WEDDING MAGIC LET YOUR WEDDING MATCH YOUR STYLE. Chris and Kyle are big Dr. Who fans and the TARDIS was on the guest book canvas that was to be framed after the wedding. (photo by Hannah Woodard Photography)

CELEBRATING THE HEART AND CREATIVITY IN WEDDINGS

Welcome! This site is a tribute to my many wedding couples who have created unique and beautiful surroundings for their weddings. Their creativity and ingenuity reflected their personalities and together we have often created new ways to modernize old traditions.

If you are looking for a minister for your wedding in the Triangle area of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, NC, contact me for a free consultation. Together we can create a ceremony that reflects your love, your personality and your dreams for your future.

Jane and Zac knew each other in high school and then went their separate ways after graduation. But while Jane was in college they ran into each other again on MySpace and the friendship renewed, culminating a few years later with their beautiful wedding celebration.

The event was planned as a black and ivory, 50’s-style wedding and the color scheme was picked up in everything from the attire of the Bride and Groom and their Bridal Party to the table decorations, guest gifts and wedding cake. It was very elegant.

Here is a table set up for dinner and you can see on it the black and ivory monogrammed cookies and the black and ivory handmade calendars standing by the goblet. I’ve never seen handmade calendars as gifts for the guests before but it was a lovely touch and very handy to tuck into a pocket or a purse. They are sure to be used by everyone who got one.

And here’s the elegant wedding cake, provided by Ashley of Ashley Cakes.

This wedding incorporated a lot of handmade elegance and everything was beautifully done. The Bridesmaids’ necklaces and Jane’s wonderful necklace and earrings were made by one of the Bridesmaids. They were perfect for everyone and Jane especially looked like a Russian empress in her gown and jewelry... which was perfect because she is of Russian heritage.

The wedding and reception were held at Barclay Villa, one of my favorite wedding locations in our area. Sitting out in the countryside in Angier, NC, it looks like a castle as you approach it and the ambience inside is a lot of fun. The great hall is a giant ballroom with a grand staircase for making grand entrances and the back of the villa is a beautifully landscaped wedding garden. This particular day all the pink cherry trees were in bloom - including a magnificent one by the wedding gazebo - and the sun shining on it made it glow even more. First time I’d done a wedding there with the cherries in bloom and it was spectacular!

Overseeing everyone and making sure everything went off without a hitch were Cathy Hunneycutt and Cindy Ebersbach of Barclay Villa. With both of these professional ladies at the helm, we were sure to have a very successful event. One of the great things about Barclay Villa is that they offer so many amenities in-house so it makes it very easy for couples to plan their weddings with them.

Jane and Zac, it was a treat getting to know you and being a part of such a special wedding. It was obvious how much heart you put into everything and if that is the way you live your lives always, you are going to have quite a special life!

Jane and Zac knew each other in high school and then went their separate ways after graduation. But while Jane was in college they ran into each other again on MySpace and the friendship renewed, culminating a few years later with their beautiful wedding celebration.

The event was planned as a black and ivory, 50’s-style wedding and the color scheme was picked up in everything from the attire of the Bride and Groom and their Bridal Party to the table decorations, guest gifts and wedding cake. It was very elegant.

Here is a table set up for dinner and you can see on it the black and ivory monogrammed cookies and the black and ivory handmade calendars standing by the goblet. I’ve never seen handmade calendars as gifts for the guests before but it was a lovely touch and very handy to tuck into a pocket or a purse. They are sure to be used by everyone who got one.

And here’s the elegant wedding cake, provided by Ashley of Ashley Cakes.

This wedding incorporated a lot of handmade elegance and everything was beautifully done. The Bridesmaids’ necklaces and Jane’s wonderful necklace and earrings were made by one of the Bridesmaids. They were perfect for everyone and Jane especially looked like a Russian empress in her gown and jewelry... which was perfect because she is of Russian heritage.

The wedding and reception were held at Barclay Villa, one of my favorite wedding locations in our area. Sitting out in the countryside in Angier, NC, it looks like a castle as you approach it and the ambience inside is a lot of fun. The great hall is a giant ballroom with a grand staircase for making grand entrances and the back of the villa is a beautifully landscaped wedding garden. This particular day all the pink cherry trees were in bloom - including a magnificent one by the wedding gazebo - and the sun shining on it made it glow even more. First time I’d done a wedding there with the cherries in bloom and it was spectacular!

Overseeing everyone and making sure everything went off without a hitch were Cathy Hunneycutt and Cindy Ebersbach of Barclay Villa. With both of these professional ladies at the helm, we were sure to have a very successful event. One of the great things about Barclay Villa is that they offer so many amenities in-house so it makes it very easy for couples to plan their weddings with them.

Jane and Zac, it was a treat getting to know you and being a part of such a special wedding. It was obvious how much heart you put into everything and if that is the way you live your lives always, you are going to have quite a special life!

Is this a handsome family or what?! Jamie and Richie met and fell in love. It was meant to be. They are two people who have been through a lot in their lives but have found their soulmates at last. There was so much love in the air that day and it was all I could do to keep back the tears on many moving occasions throughout the ceremony, starting with Richie’s almost sprinting up the aisle to meet Jamie and escort her the rest of the way to me.

Their handsome Bridal Party was most of their children, all dressed to the nines and glowing with happiness. I think I even saw some tears in their eyes during the ceremony. Their youngest brother, only a few months old, made his entrance in his father’s arms as we began and then he sat with his grandmother until we were finished.

The rings were carried in on buckets of moss - a unique and charming touch.

The ceremony was held in The Cotton Room at Golden Belt in Durham, and what a great location it is. For this morning wedding, light was streaming in from all sides, adding an almost ethereal touch to the great urban ambiance of the room.

Jamie and Richie are both excellent photographers and share their love of photography in their wedding photo business, Jagg Photography. You owe it to yourself to go check out their website. The photos are wonderful and the text is even more so... it’s a great mix and it shows who they really are. I love going there regularly to check out what’s new.

Their last name begins with an S and instead of gifts from everyone (which they decided they didn’t need) they asked everyone to bring them some sort of an S to put up in their home. What a collection they must have gotten! Here is the huge S that Richie made, sitting in the front when you entered the room. It is surrounded by photos of them taken by a photographer friend in Las Vegas at a recent photographer’s convention. (Many of the photos from that session are on their website.)

And here are some other Ss set up further down the room...

Fun items placed around the room were a photo stand to take photos of all their guests...

And some antique cameras that also doubled as props for the photos. You can see some great photos of this happy combination on their website.

Right after the ceremony, when the Bride and Groom would normally exit out the aisle, Jamie and Richie chose instead to have their first dance right then and there, followed immediately by a family dance, fully choreographed and charmingly danced by the whole clan.

Jamie and Richie, I will never forget you and your deep love for each other. And I will always have a fond place in my heart for your family dance. You are all going to have a full and happy life together, there is no doubt.

Is this a handsome family or what?! Jamie and Richie met and fell in love. It was meant to be. They are two people who have been through a lot in their lives but have found their soulmates at last. There was so much love in the air that day and it was all I could do to keep back the tears on many moving occasions throughout the ceremony, starting with Richie’s almost sprinting up the aisle to meet Jamie and escort her the rest of the way to me.

Their handsome Bridal Party was most of their children, all dressed to the nines and glowing with happiness. I think I even saw some tears in their eyes during the ceremony. Their youngest brother, only a few months old, made his entrance in his father’s arms as we began and then he sat with his grandmother until we were finished.

The rings were carried in on buckets of moss - a unique and charming touch.

The ceremony was held in The Cotton Room at Golden Belt in Durham, and what a great location it is. For this morning wedding, light was streaming in from all sides, adding an almost ethereal touch to the great urban ambiance of the room.

Jamie and Richie are both excellent photographers and share their love of photography in their wedding photo business, Jagg Photography. You owe it to yourself to go check out their website. The photos are wonderful and the text is even more so... it’s a great mix and it shows who they really are. I love going there regularly to check out what’s new.

Their last name begins with an S and instead of gifts from everyone (which they decided they didn’t need) they asked everyone to bring them some sort of an S to put up in their home. What a collection they must have gotten! Here is the huge S that Richie made, sitting in the front when you entered the room. It is surrounded by photos of them taken by a photographer friend in Las Vegas at a recent photographer’s convention. (Many of the photos from that session are on their website.)

And here are some other Ss set up further down the room...

Fun items placed around the room were a photo stand to take photos of all their guests...

And some antique cameras that also doubled as props for the photos. You can see some great photos of this happy combination on their website.

Right after the ceremony, when the Bride and Groom would normally exit out the aisle, Jamie and Richie chose instead to have their first dance right then and there, followed immediately by a family dance, fully choreographed and charmingly danced by the whole clan.

Jamie and Richie, I will never forget you and your deep love for each other. And I will always have a fond place in my heart for your family dance. You are all going to have a full and happy life together, there is no doubt.

This is a love story where boy and girl meet at college but girl has eyes for someone else and boy loses girl... at least for a while. Then life moves forward and boy and girl meet again after many years. This time things are different, the stars align and they marry to live happily ever after, together at last.

I know, I am a sucker for love stories, but this one is so special because it is true.

Susie and Marshall met at Duke University many years ago as students and so they decided to return to where it all began and marry on the campus. With the help of dear friends, the nuptials were held in front of family and friends at the Duke Yoh Center next to the football stadium. A Duke Blue Devil banner had been placed on the wall behind where we stood for all the guests to see. He must have been working his magic all these years.

As luck would have it, the wedding was the same day as the Duke-Carolina basketball game (Duke won) and hundreds of Duke students were waiting all over the grounds for the Cameron Indoor Stadium, next door to the Yoh Center, to open its doors. Many had even camped out over night to be early in line. How perfect it seemed for all that happy student energy to be swirling around the sweet wedding of two previous alums. I love it when Life works things out like that.

The sun was streaming beautifully into the Yoh Center as Susie and Marshall greeted their guests for the first time as husband and wife. I happily add my voice to the chorus of family and friends who wish them all the joys of their new life together. They have a lot of catching up to do!

This is a love story where boy and girl meet at college but girl has eyes for someone else and boy loses girl... at least for a while. Then life moves forward and boy and girl meet again after many years. This time things are different, the stars align and they marry to live happily ever after, together at last.

I know, I am a sucker for love stories, but this one is so special because it is true.

Susie and Marshall met at Duke University many years ago as students and so they decided to return to where it all began and marry on the campus. With the help of dear friends, the nuptials were held in front of family and friends at the Duke Yoh Center next to the football stadium. A Duke Blue Devil banner had been placed on the wall behind where we stood for all the guests to see. He must have been working his magic all these years.

As luck would have it, the wedding was the same day as the Duke-Carolina basketball game (Duke won) and hundreds of Duke students were waiting all over the grounds for the Cameron Indoor Stadium, next door to the Yoh Center, to open its doors. Many had even camped out over night to be early in line. How perfect it seemed for all that happy student energy to be swirling around the sweet wedding of two previous alums. I love it when Life works things out like that.

The sun was streaming beautifully into the Yoh Center as Susie and Marshall greeted their guests for the first time as husband and wife. I happily add my voice to the chorus of family and friends who wish them all the joys of their new life together. They have a lot of catching up to do!

Marrying and combining families can be a difficult transition for some people, but for Kerry and Ken this has luckily never been a problem. The children, Hannah, Taylor and Ethan, became their own family almost spontaneously once they met. Since the most important thing for Kerry and Ken is to create a happy, loving home for themselves and their children, this was a wonderful development.

The children were the Bridal Party and they were every bit as excited as their parents to be a part of such a special celebration of family love. Hannah even read the final blessing of the ceremony. Here are two great photos, taken before the ceremony, that show them all beaming. Makes my heart smile.

Kerry and Ken decided to include a Family Unity candle ceremony where they and the children all joined in with the lighting. Representing that all of them were creating a family together, it was a sweet and touching moment, especially with everyone’s faces lit by the glow of the candles.

The whole evening was a celebration of family, love and caring and I was so happy to have been asked to be a part. At the end of the ceremony, the first kiss as husband and wife was met with cheers from all those gathered for the wedding and the joyousness continued on into the night.

The ceremony was held at the Caffé Luna in downtown Raleigh and the musical backdrop, so important for a wedding and reception, was provided by George Salmi of DJ George!. The terrific photos you see here were provided by Jennifer Bunn, a coworker of Ken’s, whose wedding gift to Kerry and Ken was the photos of the event. Thanks, Jennifer, for allowing me to use your great photos here.

This family has a great life ahead of them, with so many wonderful personalities making up the mix. I hope all their dreams come true!

Marrying and combining families can be a difficult transition for some people, but for Kerry and Ken this has luckily never been a problem. The children, Hannah, Taylor and Ethan, became their own family almost spontaneously once they met. Since the most important thing for Kerry and Ken is to create a happy, loving home for themselves and their children, this was a wonderful development.

The children were the Bridal Party and they were every bit as excited as their parents to be a part of such a special celebration of family love. Hannah even read the final blessing of the ceremony. Here are two great photos, taken before the ceremony, that show them all beaming. Makes my heart smile.

Kerry and Ken decided to include a Family Unity candle ceremony where they and the children all joined in with the lighting. Representing that all of them were creating a family together, it was a sweet and touching moment, especially with everyone’s faces lit by the glow of the candles.

The whole evening was a celebration of family, love and caring and I was so happy to have been asked to be a part. At the end of the ceremony, the first kiss as husband and wife was met with cheers from all those gathered for the wedding and the joyousness continued on into the night.

The ceremony was held at the Caffé Luna in downtown Raleigh and the musical backdrop, so important for a wedding and reception, was provided by George Salmi of DJ George!. The terrific photos you see here were provided by Jennifer Bunn, a coworker of Ken’s, whose wedding gift to Kerry and Ken was the photos of the event. Thanks, Jennifer, for allowing me to use your great photos here.

This family has a great life ahead of them, with so many wonderful personalities making up the mix. I hope all their dreams come true!

Crystal and Elliott are a quiet, unassuming couple who met through playing the internet game, World of Warcraft. This was my first time encountering a couple with this beginning, but I must say, they do seem very well suited for each other. When they were telling me about it, they seemed shy to tell me how they met, but listening to their story, it sounded quite adventurous and romantic and I am so happy for them that they found each other.

Crystal’s character is named Kellsie and Elliott’s character is named Nanuvyen. Their colors in the game are ivory and pink, respectively, so Crystal and Elliott chose those colors for the wedding and reception decorations. Notice Elliott’s pink bow tie and vest and Crystal’s ivory gown.

Along with their family, many of the online friends they have made through the game came to join them for the ceremony and the revelry that followed afterwards. It made for a fun gathering and I could tell it was going to be a great celebration with family and friends. Here they are right after the wedding, with everyone around them.

The ceremony was held in the front parlor of the wonderful Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern in Raleigh and the reception was held downstairs in the airy, sunlit atrium. Located downtown, the restaurant is the historic Dodd-Hinsdale House, in the Second Empire architectural style, that has been converted into a dining treat. If you have not been, I heartily recommend it. The restaurant has won numerous awards, the food is delicious and the atmosphere top rate. Not to mention the staff are excellent. Tracy Thorpe, the Manager and Special Events Coordinator, was on hand as always to make sure it was an exemplary environment for the wedding and reception.

It was a beautiful, sunny day to match the happy characters of Crystal, Elliott - and all their guests. On each plate in the reception were packets of flower seeds with a cute poem on them that I think speaks perfectly of how Crystal and Elliott see their future;

May your life together bring you all the joys, the excitement, the adventures and the love that you foresee.

Crystal and Elliott are a quiet, unassuming couple who met through playing the internet game, World of Warcraft. This was my first time encountering a couple with this beginning, but I must say, they do seem very well suited for each other. When they were telling me about it, they seemed shy to tell me how they met, but listening to their story, it sounded quite adventurous and romantic and I am so happy for them that they found each other.

Crystal’s character is named Kellsie and Elliott’s character is named Nanuvyen. Their colors in the game are ivory and pink, respectively, so Crystal and Elliott chose those colors for the wedding and reception decorations. Notice Elliott’s pink bow tie and vest and Crystal’s ivory gown.

Along with their family, many of the online friends they have made through the game came to join them for the ceremony and the revelry that followed afterwards. It made for a fun gathering and I could tell it was going to be a great celebration with family and friends. Here they are right after the wedding, with everyone around them.

The ceremony was held in the front parlor of the wonderful Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern in Raleigh and the reception was held downstairs in the airy, sunlit atrium. Located downtown, the restaurant is the historic Dodd-Hinsdale House, in the Second Empire architectural style, that has been converted into a dining treat. If you have not been, I heartily recommend it. The restaurant has won numerous awards, the food is delicious and the atmosphere top rate. Not to mention the staff are excellent. Tracy Thorpe, the Manager and Special Events Coordinator, was on hand as always to make sure it was an exemplary environment for the wedding and reception.

It was a beautiful, sunny day to match the happy characters of Crystal, Elliott - and all their guests. On each plate in the reception were packets of flower seeds with a cute poem on them that I think speaks perfectly of how Crystal and Elliott see their future;

May your life together bring you all the joys, the excitement, the adventures and the love that you foresee.

SINCE 2010

SINCE 2012

SINCE 2015

THANK YOU!

I am so pleased to be included in the Couples’ Choice Awards at WeddingWire, the Best of Weddings Picks at The Knot, and to be recognized by The Knot as a Hall of Fame professional. Many thanks to everyone who took the time to put in kind words about me and my work. You are the reason I have received these awards and I thank you all very much.

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CONTACT REV. BARBARA LODGE

THE JOYS OF A WEDDING MINISTRY

I am an ordained Nondenominational minister who specializes in writing unique and personal ceremonies for weddings, vow renewals and christenings. I love the people I meet, the work I do and that I am always surrounded by love

In my 20+ years as a minister, I have delighted in watching the love between people and consider myself blessed to have been called to this ministry. Helping couples create ceremonies that suit their personalities and their lives has been a great joy and lots of fun.

There is no end to what the human spirit can create and it is life-affirming to be a part of the incredible excitement and happiness that weddings always bring.

For those of you whose weddings I have ministered, I thank you for the honor. And for those of you still planning your wedding, I hope the ideas you find here and the links to talented wedding professionals will help you create a wonderful day of your own.

For links to many other excellent wedding professionals with whom I’ve worked, visit the Resource Links page of my website.

A REUNION FOR REV. LODGE AND MEAGAN

I had married Meagan and Jeremy and a few years later Meagan was a Bridesmaid in the wedding of a friend she had referred to me. I love it when that happens!